HARRISONBURG, Va. – Ryan Wynn set a Tom Sox record with two triples as the Charlottesville Tom Sox (21-9) defeated the Harrisonburg Turks (18-10) by a 9-3 score at Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday. Wynn drove in four of Charlottesville’s nine runs as they extended their South division lead back to two games.
Charlottesville was aggressive from the start, pulling out to an early 2-0 lead. Dean Mihos (Coastal Carolina) kicked off the game with a hit to the right field pocket, extending his on-base streak to 11 games (the longest active streak on the team). That set the stage for Ryan Wynn (Wofford) to begin the scoring with his sixth double of the season, which allowed Mihos to cross the plate. Wynn was able to reach third on an error by Turks catcher Matthew Delgado, then scored on a groundout by Robbie Lavey (George Washington) to give the ‘Sox a two-run advantage heading into the bottom half.
However, Harrisonburg quickly struck back. Back-to-back hits by Chris Katz and Jack Cannizzaro allowed one run to come home, then an error by left fielder Johnnie Lopez (Seminole State) allowed Anthony Paskell to reach and Cannizzaro to score; knotting the game at two.
The answers, though, kept on coming. With two outs in the second, a pair of singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases and set the stage for Wynn. He delivered, notching his first three-bagger of the season to bring home all three runners and give Charlottesville their lead right back.
Bobby Olsen (Villanova commit) started on the mound for the ‘Sox and delivered his third-straight quality outing, holding the Turks to just two runs through four innings and striking out five before handing the ball off to Ryan Grzesiak (Florida Southwestern). Both he and Frank Menendez (Florida) – who entered in the seventh – kept the Turks at bay, holding them scoreless through the eighth while combining for just two hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts.
Following four relatively quiet innings, the ‘Sox offense came back to life in the seventh. Cooper Blauser (Jacksonville State) led off the inning with a stand-up triple, his first of the season and Charlottesville’s second on the night. A walk to Mihos and a stolen base would put two in scoring position, but a timely pitching change allowed the Turks to get out of the inning unscathed.
The same could not be said for the remainder of the game, however, as Charlottesville tacked on four more insurance runs across the final two innings to secure the victory; starting with one in the eighth. Colby Wallace (East Carolina) led off the frame with a double, then was brought home by a Cale Stricklin (Auburn) RBI single to make it 6-2.
The Tom Sox – with more help from Wynn – put one final bow on the game in the ninth. Sam Mummau (Jacksonville commit) walked to lead off the inning, then advanced to second on a Mihos sac bunt. Wynn made quick work of Mummau’s time on base, hitting his second triple of the night – a team record – to bring Mummau home. Wynn was quickly brought home on a wild pitch by Owen Riley to make it 8-2. The ‘Sox brought one more home on a double by Caden Ferraro (Blinn) to settle the score at nine.
The Turks brought one home in the ninth, but it was much ado about nothing as the ‘Sox collected their league-leading 21st victory of the season by a 9-3 final. Garrett Mason (Virginia Tech) was able to record the final three outs as the Tom Sox extended their division lead over the Turks back to two games.
UP NEXT:
The Tom Sox return home Sunday (July 14) for a home matchup against the Staunton Braves. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on Wild West Day.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- In addition to Wynn’s team-record two triples, the ‘Sox also set a record as a team with three.
- Charlottesville’s 13 strikeouts are their most against the Turks on the season and most in the month of July.
- Charlottesville picked up their second-straight road win against the Turks and are now 30-29 in the all-time series.
- Wynn and Wallace both notched their seventh multi-hit games of the season, tied with Robbie Lavey for the team lead.
